List of African-American United States Cabinet members

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Kamala Harris is the highest ranking African American to serve in a Cabinet as Vice President.
Colin Powell smiling with eye glasses wearing a dark suit jacket, white button-shirt with collar, and a solid burgundy tie. The United States flag is in the background.
Condoleezza Rice smiling with thickly applied red lipstick wearing a dark blue jacket over a patterned blouse. The United States flag is in the background.
Colin Powell (left) and Condoleezza Rice (right) are the highest-ranking African Americans, to lead a Cabinet agency, having held the post of Secretary of State.

The Cabinet of the United States has had 23 African-American appointed officers serving as secretaries of one or more of the United States federal executive departments and 8 African-American as Cabinet-level officials; with one of them appointed at the helm of the different departments. The vice president historically is also part of the Cabinet, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise; one African-American was elected to the position. The U.S. Census Bureau defines African Americans as citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa.[1] The term is generally used for Americans with at least partial ancestry in any of the original peoples of sub-Saharan Africa. During the founding of the federal government, African Americans were consigned to a status of second-class citizenship or enslaved.[2] No African American ever held a Cabinet position before the Civil Rights Movement or the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and labor unions.[3]

Robert C. Weaver became the first African-American to hold a Cabinet position when he was appointed secretary of housing and urban development in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.[4] Patricia Roberts Harris became the first Black woman to serve in the Cabinet when she was appointed the same position in 1977. Harris was also the first African-American who have held two different Cabinet positions during the single administration under President Jimmy Carter when appointed secretary of health, education, and welfare before the department split in 1979; she was the inaugural secretary of health and human services after that.[5]

Colin Powell appointed secretary of state in 2001 and thus became the highest-ranking African American in the United States presidential line of succession in the country's history, to that time. Condoleezza Rice became the highest-ranking black woman in line when she was appointed the same position in 2005. On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris replaced both Powell and Rice as the highest-ranking African American person in the line of succession when she was inaugurated as vice president.[6][7]

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has had the most African-American secretaries with six. The Department of Transportation has had three; the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Justice, State, and Veterans Affairs have had two; the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, and Labor have had one. The defunct Department of Health, Education, and Welfare also had one African-American secretary. The departments of Interior and Treasury are the only existing Cabinet departments that have not had African-American secretaries yet. President Bill Clinton has appointed the most African Americans to the Cabinet during his tenure, with a total of seven.

African-American vice presidents[]

Numerical order represents the seniority of the Officer in the United States presidential line of succession.[7]

 *  denotes the first African-American vice president
# Name Position Year elected
or appointed 		Party Administration Ref.
1 Kamala Harris* Vice President 2021 Democratic Joe Biden [6]

African-American secretaries[]

Current departments[]

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Robert C. Weaver was the first African American to hold a Cabinet position.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Patricia Roberts Harris was the first African-American woman to serve in the Cabinet.

Numerical order represents the seniority of the Secretaries in the United States presidential line of succession.[7]

 *  denotes the first African-American secretary of that particular department
# Name Position Year
appointed 		Party Administration Ref.
4 Colin Powell* Secretary of State 2001 Republican George W. Bush [8]
4 Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State 2005 Republican George W. Bush [9]
5  — [a] Secretary of the Treasury  — [a]  — [a]  — [a]  —
6 Lloyd Austin* Secretary of Defense 2021 Democratic Joe Biden [10]
7 Eric Holder* Attorney General 2009 Democratic Barack Obama [11]
7 Loretta Lynch Attorney General 2015 Democratic Barack Obama [12]
8  — [b] Secretary of the Interior  — [b]  — [b]  — [b]  —
9 Mike Espy* Secretary of Agriculture 1993 Democratic Bill Clinton [13]
10 Ron Brown* Secretary of Commerce 1993 Democratic Bill Clinton [14]
11 Alexis Herman* Secretary of Labor 1997 Democratic Bill Clinton [15][16]
12 Patricia Roberts Harris* Secretary of Health and Human Services 1980 Democratic Jimmy Carter [5]
12 Louis Wade Sullivan Secretary of Health and Human Services 1989 Republican George H. W. Bush [17]
13 Robert C. Weaver* Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1966 Democratic Lyndon B. Johnson [4]
13 Patricia Roberts Harris Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1977 Democratic Jimmy Carter [5]
13 Samuel Pierce Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1981 Republican Ronald Reagan [18]
13 Alphonso Jackson Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 2004 Republican George W. Bush [19]
13 Ben Carson Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 2017 Republican Donald Trump [20]
13 Marcia Fudge Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 2021 Democratic Joe Biden [21]
14 William Thaddeus Coleman Jr.* Secretary of Transportation 1975 Republican Gerald Ford [22]
14 Rodney E. Slater Secretary of Transportation 1997 Democratic Bill Clinton [23]
14 Anthony Foxx Secretary of Transportation 2013 Democratic Barack Obama [24]
15 Hazel R. O'Leary* Secretary of Energy 1993 Democratic Bill Clinton [25]
16 Rod Paige* Secretary of Education 2001 Republican George W. Bush [26]
16 John King Jr. Secretary of Education 2016 Democratic Barack Obama [27]
17 Jesse Brown* Secretary of Veterans Affairs 1993 Democratic Bill Clinton [28]
17 Togo D. West Jr. Secretary of Veterans Affairs 1998 Democratic Bill Clinton [29]
18 Jeh Johnson* Secretary of Homeland Security 2013 Democratic Barack Obama [30]

Defunct departments[]

The departments are listed in order of their establishment or elevation to Cabinet (earliest first).

 *  denotes the first African-American secretary of that particular department
# Name Position Year
appointed 		Party Administration Ref.
1  — [с] Secretary of War  — [с]  — [f]  — [с]  —
2  — [d] Secretary of the Navy  — [d]  — [d]  — [d]  —
3  — [e] Postmaster General  — [e]  — [e]  — [e]  —
4  — [f] Secretary of Commerce and Labor  — [f]  — [f]  — [f]  —
5 Patricia Roberts Harris* Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1979 Democratic Jimmy Carter [5]

African-American Cabinet-level officials[]

The president may designate additional officials as members of the Cabinet. These positions have not always been in the Cabinet, so some African American officeholders may not be listed.

The following list includes African-Americans who have held cabinet-level positions other than the 15 executive departments. The table below is organized based on the time at which an African-American was appointed to a cabinet-level position.

 *  denotes the first African-American head of that particular agency
Name Position Year
appointed 		Party Administration Ref.
Andrew Young* U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 1977 Democratic Jimmy Carter [31]
Donald McHenry U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 1979 Democratic Jimmy Carter [32]
Lisa P. Jackson* Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 2009 Democratic Barack Obama [33]
Susan Rice U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 2009 Democratic Barack Obama [34]
Ron Kirk* U.S. Trade Representative 2009 Democratic Barack Obama [35]
Linda Thomas-Greenfield U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 2021 Democratic Joe Biden [36]
Cecilia Rouse* {{sort|CEA|Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers 2021 Democratic Joe Biden [37]
Michael S. Regan Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 2021 Democratic Joe Biden [38]

Pending African-American nominees for Cabinet secretaries and Cabinet-level positions[]

Nominee Position Announced Party Administration Ref.
Shalanda Young Director of the Office of Management and Budget November 23, 2021 Democratic Joe Biden [39]

See also[]

Notes[]

  • a The Department of the Treasury was established in 1789; no African American has yet served as secretary.[40]
  • b The Department of the Interior was established in 1849; no African American has yet served as secretary.[41]
  • d The Postmaster General ceased to be a member of the Cabinet when the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, a special agency independent of the executive branch, by the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act. No African American had ever served while it was a Cabinet post.[42]
  • e The Secretary of the Navy ceased to be a member of the Cabinet when the Department of the Navy was absorbed into the Department of Defense in 1947. No African American had ever served while it was a Cabinet post.[43][44]
  • f The position of Secretary of War became defunct when the Department of War became the Department of Defense in 1947. No African American had ever served while it was a Cabinet post.[43]
  • g The position of Secretary of Commerce and Labor became defunct when the Department of Commerce and Labor was subdivided into two separate entities in 1913. No African American had ever served while it was a Cabinet post.[45]

References[]

  1. ^ "The Black Population: 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  2. ^ "Time Line of African American History, 1881–1900". Library of Congress. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
  3. ^ "Transcript of Civil Rights Act (1964)". Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Weil, Martin (July 20, 1997). "Robert C. Weaver Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d Boyd, Gerald M. (March 24, 1985). "Patricia R. Harris, Carter Aide, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  6. ^ a b Schaff, Erin (November 7, 2020). "Kamala Harris Makes History as First Woman and Woman of Color as Vice President". The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Feerick, John. "Essays on Amendment XXV: Presidential Succession". The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  8. ^ Anderson, Nick (January 21, 2001). "Senate Gives Quick Approval to 7 Bush Cabinet Appointees". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  9. ^ Schweid, Barry (January 26, 2005). "Rice Is Confirmed Despite Opposition". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  10. ^ Edmondson, Catie (January 22, 2021). "Lloyd Austin is confirmed, becoming the first Black defense secretary in U.S. history". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  11. ^ Lewis, Neil A. (February 2, 2009). "Holder Is Confirmed as Attorney General". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  12. ^ DeBonis, Mike (April 23, 2015). "Loretta Lynch confirmed by Senate as attorney general". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Baer, Susan (October 4, 1994). "Embattled Espy resigns as chief of Agriculture". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  14. ^ Balz, Dan; Sharon, Walsh (April 4, 1996). "Ron Brown, a pioneer at home in black and white America". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  15. ^ "Alexis M. Herman". United States Department of Labor. Archived from the original on 2008-11-05. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  16. ^ Rosenbaum, David E. (December 21, 1996). "Clinton Fills Cabinet After Scramble to Diversify". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  17. ^ "Sullivan Confirmed as HHS Chief by 98-1 Vote". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. March 1, 1989. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  18. ^ Shenon, Philip (November 3, 2000). "Samuel R. Pierce Jr., Ex-Housing Secretary, Dies at 78". The WNew York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  19. ^ Neuman, Joanna (April 1, 2008). "Housing secretary resigns". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  20. ^ Woellert, Lorraine (March 2, 2017). "Ben Carson Is Confirmed as HUD Secretary". Politico. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  21. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (March 10, 2021). "Senate confirms Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as HUD secretary". CNN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Hevesi, Dennis (March 31, 2017). "William T. Coleman Jr., Who Broke Racial Barriers in Court and Cabinet, Dies at 96". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  23. ^ Stout, David (February 7, 1997). "Senate Easily Confirms Slater As Transportation Secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  24. ^ Boles, Corey (June 28, 2013). "Foxx Cleared for Transportation Post". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  25. ^ Harrington, Linda M. (May 1, 1994). "No Pie in the Sky". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  26. ^ Schemo, Diana Jean (November 12, 2004). "Education Secretary Plans to Resign". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  27. ^ Resmovits, Joy (March 20, 2016). "New Education Secretary John B. King Jr. knows the value of a second chance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  28. ^ Barringer, Felicity (December 18, 1992). "The Transition: Clinton Selects Ex-Mayor for H.U.D. and an Ex-Marine for Veterans Affairs; Defender of the Rights of Veterans Masters Thickets of Regulations". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  29. ^ Roberts, Sam (March 13, 2018). "Togo West Jr., 75, Dies; Army Secretary in Time of Transition". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  30. ^ Saenz, Arlette (December 17, 2013). "Senate Confirms Jeh Johnson as DHS Secretary". ABC News. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  31. ^ Lelyveld, Joseph (February 6, 1977). "Our new voice at the U.N." The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  32. ^ Teltsch, Kathleen (September 1, 1979). "M'HENRY APPOINTED TO YYOUNG'S U.N. JOB". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  33. ^ Hebert, H. Josef (January 23, 2009). "Jackson confirmed for EPA". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Associated Press. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  34. ^ "U.S. Senate confirms Rice as U.N. ambassador". Reuters. January 23, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  35. ^ Palmer, Doug (March 18, 2009). "Senate approves Kirk as U.S. trade representative". Reuters. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  36. ^ Lee, Matthew (February 24, 2021). "Senate confirms Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador". Associated Press. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  37. ^ Tankersley, Jim (March 2, 2021). "Senate confirms Cecilia Rouse as the first Black chair of White House economic council". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  38. ^ Stark, Liz (March 10, 2021). "Senate confirms Michael Regan as head of Environmental Protection Agency". CNN. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  39. ^ Wilkie, Christina (November 24, 2021). "Biden picks Shalanda Young to be budget director in his second attempt to fill the key role". CNBC. Retrieved November 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  40. ^ "History of the Treasury: Secretaries of the Treasury". United States Department of the Treasury. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  41. ^ "Past Secretaries of Interior". United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  42. ^ "The United States Postal Service — An American History 1775–2002" (PDF). United States Postal Service. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-19. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
  43. ^ a b "Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
  44. ^ "Secretaries of the Navy". Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  45. ^ "General Records of the Department of Commerce". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 15, 2008.

External links[]

  • The Cabinet - Provided by the White House. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
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